Understanding the kinds of gifts God gave to the church is important.
by Ron Myer
One day I noticed a cute teddy bear being offered at an airport stand as a free gift for signing up for a credit card. Why give away a gift? Research proves that people will open their wallets and buy much more often when gift-with-purchase sales are offered because they like getting something extra that they did not pay for. The free gift makes them feel like a winner.
Everyone enjoys receiving a gift. A gift expresses sentiments such as love, friendship or respect, and usually there is a specific purpose in giving one. Spiritual gifts given by God are much the same. They are an expression of love from God to us and each one has a specific purpose.
God has blessed each person with spiritual gifts, but no one person can possess the fullness of all of them. That’s why we should work together. We need everyone’s gift so we can be fully equipped for service.
Distinguishing among the gifts.
How do we distinguish among all the supernatural gifts we find in the Bible? What do we do with our gifts? Ask any gathering of Christians for a show of hands of those who know what their spiritual gifts are, and you will get only a few hands raised. Other people will stare at you blankly. We should all know what our spiritual gifts are. How can we use them if we do not know what they are? Understanding the kinds of gifts God gave to the church is important.
A study of the Bible reveals that God gives many different kinds of spiritual gifts. Some gifts are inner motivational gifts that God gives each individual. Others help believers to “do the work of ministry,” and yet other special ministry gifts are given to individual leaders to “train God’s people to do the work of the ministry.” Associated with each list of gifts is a comment on unity and diversity in the body of Christ, which leads to maturity. In brief, here are the three groups and their functions:
Gifts of the Father
Motivational: Inner motivational gifts God gives to individuals
Romans 12:3-8
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Operational: Gifts to help believers do the work of ministry
1 Corinthians 12:7-11
Gifts of Christ
Fivefold: Gifts for individual leaders to train God’s people to do the work of the ministry
Ephesians 4:9-16
Although the fivefold gifts of Christ are the focus of this book, let’s first briefly explore the other kinds: the motivational gifts and the operational gifts.
Gifts of the Father—motivational gifts
It is commonly understood that every person has a motivational gift, or, as some say, a gift that carries a thumbprint of God the Father, in his or her life. This very imprint of God is an affirmation that each individual has been created in His image.
This imprint is illustrated in the story of Mary and Martha. Martha was motivated by serving and Mary was motivated by mercy. Their differing motivations and the different tasks they engaged with led to conflict. Martha complained about Mary to Jesus, saying “She sits at your feet while I do the dishes.”
Our differing motivational gifts cause us to be energized in a certain direction or look at things from a particular perspective. We need to recognize our gifts because they are essential in ministering to others. We find the listing of these gifts in Romans 12:3-8 (NKJV):
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Paul says that the grace of God given to each individual is shown in different gifts. Each of these is a special talent for a particular type of activity. I believe this conveys that everyone on the face of the earth has one or more of these gifts. The Lord longs for each individual to use his or her God-given motivational gift for Him.
Since these gifts are not dependent on our relationship with Jesus but upon the fact that we have been created in God’s image, they are given to believers and unbelievers alike. Think about it. There are countless fantastic teachers in this world who have a wonderful gift of teaching, but they may not yet be believers. Their gift, however, gives evidence that they have been created in God’s image.
You probably have heard about people who have given away millions of dollars. Although they give money to schools, universities, hospitals, local communities, libraries or many other worthy causes, they are not necessarily Christians. However, it does give evidence that they are created in God’s image and are gifted in giving. They give millions of dollars away because the thumbprint of God on their lives prompts them to be generous givers.
Some time ago, there was a television show where a successful businessman gave away a million dollars to an individual. Why would somebody do that? Granted, there can be countless ulterior motivations for giving away that kind of money on national television, but one reason was that this individual had an ability and desire to give. It comes from an inner motivation.
How about someone who ministers? There are many doctors and nurses and other social service employees who minister to people tirelessly. Some of them are very effective in their ministry, but they may not yet be Christians. They have a thumbprint on their lives to minister to others, and they are good at it.
We have all met people in our lives who are naturally optimistic and excellent encouragers. But not all of them have a personal relationship with Jesus—they just seem to have it in them to speak timely words of motivation that cheer and inspire. In fact, it is regrettable, but sometimes Christians are less encouraging than non-Christians. Believers in Jesus should be the best encouragers of all. We should continually inspire others to be like Christ and fulfill their destiny in God.
What about the motivational gift of prophecy and prophesying? There are individuals, Christian and non-Christian alike, who have the ability to sense what is ahead. They seem to intuitively know that if something does not change, such and such a problem will emerge. This is a kind of prophecy or sensing of the times.
Secular journals are filled with writings that speak in a prophetic sense concerning the future of a nation, for example. They examine the current situation and get a sense of where a particular country is headed and make declarations and suggestions for change. Again, this speaks to and affirms that every person has been created in the image of God.
The Lord wants us to use these gifts for Him, and the fact that every individual has gifts is evidence of being created in the image of our Father God. So we fittingly call these the “Father’s gifts.”
Gifts of the Holy Spirit—gifts of operations
The nine spiritual gifts found in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 are not only nine gifts given for individual use but also gifts in which the Holy Spirit manifests Himself through people to enable them to help others. These gifts are sometimes called “gifts of operations.”
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills (NKJV).
In these verses, the Bible mentions that the Holy Spirit disperses gifts so that they can be used to promote health, healing and wholeness in the whole body. When you are saved, I believe you receive at least one of these nine spiritual gifts in your life. They are evidence that you have made Jesus the Lord of your life and the Holy Spirit has come and taken up residence.
The Spirit of God gives these gifts as He pleases so that the gifts may be used for the common good. In other words, they are not for our private advantage or exclusive profit, but are for the common benefit of others.
Many people are not aware of what their gifts are and consequently do not function in their gifts. This, however, does not mean that the gifts are not present. Often, because of ignorance, insecurity or seeming inability to use their gifts, people fail to experience what God desires to do in and through them. Often, Christians pray the simple prayer, “Lord, use me,” but they are unaware of their gifts (God’s supernatural ability). Despite there being opportunities all around, they sit idle, and needs go unmet.
I love it when the Lord uses the gifts He has given me to be a blessing to others. When we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us and give us a new dimension of His power, the gifts are released in our lives in a greater way. Because these nine gifts are to be used for ministry to others, we can be the key to the Holy Spirit ministering in someone’s life.
Each of these gifts is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Each requires a power that is not natural to man. It is a supernatural power that comes from God alone, namely the Holy Spirit. The word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, healings, workings of miracles—these are all gifts that only the Holy Spirit can accomplish. But we must allow Him to work through us. There have been times where the Lord has given me a word of knowledge in a situation that alerts me to something about an individual that I had no natural way of knowing. Bringing this information to light and praying with the individual was often the key to his or her healing.
Many spiritual leaders encourage believers to use these gifts primarily in the church for the benefit of others within the body of Christ. However, these gifts were given not just for the benefit of the church but also for ministry to the unsaved.
Years ago, I was conducting a small group leaders’ retreat with my friends in Ohio. As we took a break for lunch, the pastor started going around the room asking people if they had a word for June (not her real name). “Who is June?” I asked.
“She is one of the waitresses serving us today,” the pastor responded. “I believe God has a word for her today.”
June was not a Christian, but she agreed to let us pray for her when we asked. We gathered around her and began to pray. Someone received a word of knowledge about something in her past. Within minutes, tears flowed down her cheeks as the Lord ministered to that hurt in her life. Yes, the gifts can have an awesome impact on the unsaved, revealing to them the love and power of the Father.
The Gifts of Christ—fivefold gifts
This brings us to the fivefold gifts, the central subject of this book. These gifts that Jesus gave to the church are often referred to as the fivefold ministry gifts because they not only represent distinct people and ministerial functions, but they also reveal five principles for effective ministry. The apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher represent the principles of governing, guiding, gathering, guarding and grounding.
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV).
In mentioning the gifts of Christ, we notice it says that He gave “some” to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Not everyone will receive the gifts of leadership mentioned here. While every person on the face of the earth has at least one of the “Father’s gifts,” the thumbprint of being created in God’s image, and every believer has a gift(s) of the Holy Spirit giving evidence to the fact of having the Holy Spirit in him, only some will develop the fivefold gifts.
Before we elevate them to an exclusive rank, we must grasp that the fivefold gifts are not offices but functions of ministry. Jack Hayford makes an important point when he says that these ministries must be ones of servant leadership rather than positional authority:
The oft-designated “Ephesians 4:11 office ministries”—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—have been belabored in ways that have led me to resist the classic term “office ministries” frequently given them. This is because something official has increasingly drawn the focus away from Jesus’ motive. His is the Giver of servant leaders, not the “elevator” of people to office or position.1
God calls individuals with specific fivefold leadership ministries to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” and encourage the body of Christ. There is nothing exalted about these gifts; they simply have a specific purpose and function to serve others.
Christ gave!The gifts are not titles that are self-appointed or even chosen by the church. Rather, they are “given.” Ephesians 4:11 says that “He gave.” The fivefold gifts, from Jesus Christ Himself, were given so we might be complete, lacking nothing. Each of the gifts were fully functioning in Jesus when He walked this earth. He did not just carry a deposit of these gifts; each one of these gifts was functioning to its fullest extent in Christ. Jesus was all the fivefold ministers rolled up in one! Jesus was:
The Apostle of apostles “As the Father has sent me” (John 20:21).
The Prophet of prophets “At first His disciples did not understand all this” (John 12:16). Everything that Jesus prophesied will come to pass.
The Evangelist of evangelists “I am the way, the truth and the life; no man can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
The Teacher of teachers “You call me Teacher and Lord and rightly so, for that is what I am” (John 13:13).
The Pastor of pastors “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11).
All ministry is the ministry of Christ expressed through a believer by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This includes the fivefold ministry which is an extension of the ministry of Christ Himself. There was no apostle, prophet, evangelist, teacher, or pastor more anointed than Jesus Christ. He was all of these things and more.
When Jesus ascended on high He broke down His fullness of ministry into smaller measures. Christ in this way continues to carry on His prophetic ministry through the prophets He has set in the body. He continues to carry on His teaching ministry through the teachers He has called and equipped in the body, and so forth. His plan is to carry out a worldwide ministry through a many-member body.
If we want to see the church grow until we become like Christ, the five gifts are indispensable. When the fivefold is not working properly the church is handicapped. The modern-day church is facing a challenge concerning how it views fivefold ministry, according to Doug Beacham. He believes that although traditional denominations and the new apostolic networks do not see eye-to-eye when it comes to recognizing the fivefold ministers, they must work together to avoid the extremes of independence and institutionalism.
Twentieth-century … wineskins must be adapted to hold twenty-first century wine. I believe that apostolic and denominational leaders together hold the keys to adapting leadership structures so that the church can transform culture and advance the kingdom of God for generations to come.2
I agree wholeheartedly. We must work together and learn from each other even with our differing views. However, I cannot deny the operation of the fivefold gifts in the church today. I have seen them working firsthand. They are not lost. They did not disappear after the first century. These gifts have a vital role and purpose in the New Testament church just as they did in the book of Acts and the first three centuries of church history.
NOTES
1 Edited by Matthew D. Green, Understanding the Fivefold Ministry, “Beyond Novelty to Substance,” Jack Hayford, (Florida: Charisma House, 2005), p.xi
2 Ibid., “The Leadershift,” Doug Beacham
You are uniquely gifted
learn more about your spiritual gifts on these Free assessments here
